Sweet Dreams, Sweet Reality
by Caneeltje
Summary: We can all be pushed to reach our breaking point. Even Dr. Brennan is only human. Not all of us have a Booth to come to our rescue, though, but fortunately, Dr. Brennan does.


**Welcome to our one-shot everyone! We may upload a few of these before starting to upload our new multi-chapter story. This is one of our therapeutic pieces, since one of us was driven to her breaking point a few months ago and we decided to transfer the situation and emotions to a fic. At least in fiction we can determine how it ends! So, in this one-shot, Brennan reaches her breaking point. Luckily, she has a knight in shining FBI body armour. Enjoy!**

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It was really, really late today. She was immersed in her files, feeling she was on to something. At 11PM, the guard came to ask her to leave, because they were closing the building. She heaved a sigh and rubbed her temples. She knew she should go to bed, but she was close. She was so close to finding a lead on the serial killer. Feeling tired and hungry, she decided that she couldn't afford to lose her train of thought. She told the guard she'd be right out, and gathered her files. She would take them home, as she'd done with her ancient files a few times before. She loved solving the puzzles.

Joshua Davis had just arrived home, well his girlfriend's apartment, with an assortment of pasta on the front passenger seat. He knew she liked Chinese or Thai food better, but he had a craving for pasta. He'd gone out to dinner with his boss, the editor in chief of the news station where he worked, and had got his ass chewed out. The only reason he'd hooked up with the famous Dr. Temperance Brennan, was because she was working the serial killer case he was reporting. He was working anonymously, so nobody - including his current girlfriend - would know what was going on. Heck, he hadn't even told her he was a journalist. Unfortunately, the stubborn woman was as tight-lipped about the case as they had feared. The sex was great and he had to admit that she had her moments when she was cute and adorable, but they were few and happened on rare occasions. The meeting had lasted a lot longer than expected, so he wasn't surprised when he noticed she was home already.

She had to concentrate to stay awake and focus on her thoughts prior to leaving. Even though one of their suspects seemed to have a pretty tight alibi, she had found something to potentially link him to the crime scenes. She wasn't sure, but maybe... Finally she arrived home and carried her heavy bag up the stairs to her apartment. She turned on the lights and was relieved to find Joshua gone. Good, she could work. She spread out the files on the dining room table and continued to work.

Joshua entered the apartment and walked over to her. "Night, darling," he whispered, then leaned down, kissing her full on her lips. "I went out for a midnight snack. Do you want some pasta too?" His eyes landed on her papers. "What are you working on?" When he saw the name of one of the victims, he knew.

She quickly gathered the papers and files and carried them into her office. "No, I'm not hungry. And you know I can't tell you what I'm working on, Joshua." She went into the kitchen and grabbed a bottle of wine and two glasses. "I can't stay up too late tonight," she told him apologetically.

"That's okay, Tempe," he smiled at her, then took the bottle of wine and both glasses from her. He kissed her again and murmured, "Why don't you go and relax on the couch. I'll bring you some wine."

She gave him a smile and flopped down on the couch. She kicked off her flats and closed her eyes for a moment. Joshua took good care of her. He was a bit like Booth in that respect, always making sure she was all right, that the case wasn't getting to her, that she was eating.

He made her a plate of her favourite pasta and sprinkled the contents of a sleeping pill through it. She was a light sleeper and he couldn't afford to have her waking up in the middle of him copying her files, after which he would take off and disappear from her life. She was a good person, but just not the kind of person he could love. He added some cheese, a variety he had noticed she didn't buy and poured her a glass of wine. With her plate in one hand and the glass in the other, he made his way to the living room. "Here you go, Tempe."

She opened her eyes to find a plate of pasta in front of her. "Josh, I'm really not hungry," she started to say, then looked up at him. He looked a bit disappointed. "But it looks really good," she amended, "Thanks." She sat upright and took the plate and sipped the wine.

"It's important to eat, Temperance, we've been over this," he teased.

"Yeah, I know, Booth tells me the same thing." She took a few bites. "There's a bit of a weird taste, but... oh, it's probably the cheese. I don't usually eat this kind. It's okay though, it tastes good." She finished her glass of wine and ate some more.

He settled down next to her, taking a sip of the wine before he put his glass down on the coffee table and tenderly lifted her feet onto his lap to massage them. He couldn't drink wine anyway. He still had to drive.

"Ah, that's nice," she sighed. She hadn't finished the entire plate, but she felt full and a bit better now that she'd eaten something.

"If we go into the bedroom, I'll give you a full body massage," Joshua offered, "No funny business." Well nothing other than gazing upon her striking naked form. She truly had the most amazing curves.

"Funny business?" she repeated, not knowing what that meant.

He rolled his eyes and leaned in to fondle her breasts. "I know you're tired, so nothing sexual... well," he smirked as he removed his hand from her breasts, "not anymore."

"Don't grab me like that, Josh," she admonished him as she pushed him away and got up. She brought their plates to the kitchen and put them in the dishwasher.

He went into the bathroom and got the massage oil he knew she preferred. With the small bottle in hand, he walked into the kitchen, wrapping his arms around her as he pressed his chest against her back. "Let me make it up to you, Tempe."

"Just promise me you won't do it again," she sighed. "My body's not a toy you can play with."

"I know, you're absolutely right. It should be pampered and cared for... so let me."

"Well... All right," she relented, and went ahead to the bedroom.

He followed her and once they were inside, he put the bottle of oil on the night stand and took his jeans and shirt off. He waited until she was naked and lying down on the bed, then he straddled her thighs and got comfortable, warming the oil in his hands.

She tried to relax; Joshua was very good at massage. She closed her eyes and let him work on her tense muscles until she fell asleep.

Once he was certain she was fast asleep, he got out of their bed and put his clothes back on. He walked into her office, where he grabbed the files and fed them into the printer/copier. His duffel was prepared as always and when he walked into the bedroom, he found a pleasant surprise waiting for him. She'd turned onto her back and he could look at all of her beautiful, feminine curves. Making a split second decision, he took out his phone and made a few photos. 'You never know I might need leverage one day,' he thought to himself, then quietly grabbed his bag and returned to the living room. He went to grab the left over pasta and put it next to his bag. He put his shoes back on and when he went back to the office, he noticed the copies had been made. He grabbed a set, leaving the originals and returned to the living room. He put the papers in his bag, grabbed the food and left the apartment.

The following day, she woke up late and alone. She startled as she looked at her alarm clock. It was 11AM! How could she have overslept this badly? She grabbed her phone, which had apparently been on silent. A dozen missed calls from Booth. She quickly typed him a message that she would come to his office as soon as possible. She grabbed the files from her office and put them in her bag. She shot into her clothes, had some water, brushed her teeth and jogged out the door.

Booth was pacing his office as he stared at the paper. It was all in there. All of the information of the victims, the parallels between them that Sweets had drawn out, even god damn details on the forensic evidence. Where the hell did the reporter get this information? He'd obviously already called the newspaper and the stations which had picked it up, but all were tight-lipped about their source. Even the Deputy Director was meddling in the case and Booth had just spent the last two hours in a conference room, taking blame and doing damage control as well as he could. Not that it mattered anymore, though. The damage had long been gone. When his phone buzzed, he picked it up. "Bones, finally," he murmured as he read her text. He went out to get a cup of coffee, the sheer frustration of the case overshadowing the concern for his partner. Ever since she'd started going out with this Joshua guy, Booth had been doing his best to stop being overbearing and overprotective, which had proven to be far more difficult than he had imagined.

Brennan arrived at his office with the files in her duffel bag. "Booth, I'm so sorry. Look, I discovered something yesterday," she said, still a bit out of breath, as she began to take the files out of her bag.

"If you'd been here on time," Booth snapped, shoving the paper in her hands, "you'd know that someone broke into either the Jeffersonian itself or hacked its computer system." He pointed to the bit titled 'Latest theory', "I already know what you discovered and unfortunately, so does the rest of the country!"

"What?" Brennan said incredulously, and grabbed the paper out of Booth's hands. She read the article - front page - and her insides began to boil as she read the reporter's name. Joshua. She threw the paper on Booth's desk, experiencing many different emotions at once, and at that moment, Hacker came in.

He noticed the files Brennan had been in the process of unloading from her bag. "Doctor Brennan, please empty your bag on Agent Booth's desk," he said coolly.

Brennan did so, her face turning red with shame. This was all her fault and she'd got caught. "Why are those files in your bag, Doctor Brennan?"

Brennan gave him the truth. "I was about to discover something when the Jeffersonian closed, so I took them home to complete my theory."

Hacker put his hands on his hips and towered over her. "And how did your theory and the contents of those files end up in the paper, Doctor Brennan?"

She tightened her hands into fists. "I'm afraid the person I'm seeing is the reporter, Director Hacker," she said through clenched teeth.

Hacker seemed very angry and to be restraining himself. "You're fired, Doctor Brennan. Please leave the office now and we'll inform you of further consequences later."

Booth was stunned and didn't move or react until after she'd packed her stuff and left his office. That seemed to have awoken him from his stupor. "You cannot fire the Jeffersonian, Sir. I've already done that once and it was the worst thing I've ever done as an Agent," he defended her.

"I'm not firing the Jeffersonian, I'm firing Doctor Brennan. She will no longer work with the FBI. She's a liability. I have no choice but to fire her, it's protocol. Now you think of how we can save this case, Agent Booth. Think hard." With that, Hacker left Booth's office, taking the files with him.

Booth slumped back into his seat. He did as Hacker told him and thought about the mess they were in. And more importantly, how to get out of it. He couldn't stay focused for more than two minutes though. Instead, he texted Angela to give her a heads up and to ask her to take care of Brennan for him.

Brennan had left the building, got into her car and wanted to go home, but she couldn't, because Joshua had a key and he may even be there. She never wanted to see him again. He hadn't even told her he was a reporter; she felt so betrayed. One accidental mistake had now cost her everything. Her partnership with Booth, the forensic cases. Booth. She knew where his key was, and he wouldn't be home until at least six o'clock. Yes, that's where she would go.

"Booth," he picked up the phone, the concern clear in his voice after having seen Angela's name come on the display.

"Sweetie, she's still not here. I called her home phone and she isn't picking that one up either."

Booth frowned. "It's almost been an hour since she left, Ange. Don't worry, I'm going to find her." He realised in that moment he shouldn't have let her walk out of his office, but well, it was too late for that now.

"Let me know something when you've found her, Booth."

He nodded. "I will, Angie. Bye." He ended the phone call, grabbed his keys, his wallet, cell phone and gun and left his office. He decided to make a quick stop at home first, then he'd start looking for her.

As soon as she'd stepped into the comfortable familiarity of Booth's house, she broke down in sobs. She felt completely humiliated. Yes, she'd made a mistake, but couldn't Hacker see that it wasn't entirely her fault? Couldn't he be a little bit more humane? He'd taken away the most important thing in her life, and that was to be Booth's partner. She took off her coat and shoes and left them on the floor in the hallway. Her phone was in her pocket, but she didn't pay any attention to it. Her chest was heaving up and down fast and irregularly, and she couldn't stop crying. She tried to have some water, but nothing helped. She went through Booth's medicine cabinet, but there was nothing to ease her mind. No oxazepam or whatever. Eventually, she dropped down on the couch and curled up in a ball. She felt lonely, there was no one to defend or protect her. She couldn't be strong anymore. She'd heard Hacker yell that the next victims would be on her hands. How could she live with that terrible responsibility? She lay there sobbing for a long time, her only comfort Booth's scent that hung in the house. Eventually, she'd exhausted herself, and fell into a restless sleep.

Booth came home, unlocked the door and nearly stumbled over the pair of shoes in the hallway. He immediately recognised them as being Bones' and hurried further into his house. His heart broke when he found her asleep on the couch. He noticed the dried tear tracks and wished Angela had called him sooner. He walked into his bedroom, retrieved his duvet and tucked her in. He went into the kitchen and put the kettle on, so he would be able to offer her a cup of tea when she woke up. He sat down on the couch opposite to the one she was lying on and continued to try to come up with a way to get out of this, their team still intact. Their partnership still intact. Or actually, he only now realised, he was going to make sure he got her through this mess intact. She'd said that it had been Joshua who had betrayed her. A soft, compassionate sigh left his lips, realising that this recent betrayal would surely leave another mark on her heart.

Brennan startled awake when a kettle began to whistle. Her heart was thumping inside her chest and she pushed herself up. She saw Booth's back hurrying to the kitchen, and felt even more humiliated that he'd found her here in his house. She quickly tried to clean herself up a little, wipe away the tears and tuck her hair behind her ears, then straightened her blouse. When he returned with two cups of tea, she looked up at him, her eyes still red.

"Here you go," he handed her a cup of tea with a generous amount of honey. He himself put down his cup of coffee and sat back down in his chair.

She put the tea on the coffee table. She wanted to say something, but she just started crying again.

"Awe, Bones," Booth whispered softly as he put his cup down next to hers and went to join her on the couch. Slowly, he pulled her in his embrace and covered them both with the duvet, providing her with a safe, warm place to fall.

Every time she tried to speak, just more tears came out. She had a terrible head-ache from all the crying and the stress, and she was feeling nauseous since she hadn't eaten anything. She leaned into Booth and wrapped her arms around his waist, holding on to him. She couldn't miss him. But that was what was going to happen.

"Shh," he tried to sooth her as he rubbed her back. "We'll find a way out of this mess, Bones. You made a mistake by trusting him. It was a mistake I would've made as well. You're only human, just like the rest of us. We'll fix this. We're the centre, remember? We'll hold," he tried to reassure her.

"Don't be nice to me," she countered between sobs, and held him a little more tightly. She'd messed up, she should be punished. He shouldn't be reassuring her.

"Of course I'm nice to you. You're my partner, Bones. I have your back, that's what partners do."

"It's not going to be okay," she said and swallowed, "It's not."

"Why not, honey?" Booth asked her, surprised that she seemed to have so little faith in herself, in him and in their team.

"Booth, I'll never be allowed to work forensic cases again. Hacker's going to report me." She had to cry again, and buried her face in his shoulder.

"We're not there yet. No matter how Hacker is going to play this, the fact remains that the only thing you could be blamed for, is putting your trust in someone who didn't earn it. It was a mistake. An honest mistake. But that's not my main concern right now. My main concern is catching the serial murderer who has already taken eight lives. I've been thinking about ways to get out of this and maybe we can use this entire mess to our advantage."

She calmed down a little as she listened to him, her face still pressed against his shoulder.

"It's dangerous, I grant you that, but it's time for action now. I think we should lure him out. He knows that there will be consequences and you know what Sweets said, he stays around to watch the aftermath of the murder. He's going to want to see the aftermath of this, so let's give it to him."

Her breathing was getting a little more regular, and she rested her head on his shoulder, not wanting him to look at her, but wanting to be close to him. He made everything better, it was the truth.

"We could make a big deal out of you no longer being the liaison of the FBI. I have to run this by Hacker of course, but you could act as if you've gone rogue, going out after him. Well, I haven't thought that part through yet, but we will fix this."

"Don't talk to Hacker about this. About me," she asked him, her voice still shaky. "I'll do whatever it takes if it means we may catch the killer. If he kills anyone else, it's on me."

"Of course not, Bones. What makes you think that? By that logic every one of the three victims that have been killed since we've worked the case are on my hands. And you don't think that, do you?"

"My mistake could have been prevented. I'm responsible for it. I should - I just shouldn't try to have human interactions. It's obviously dangerous."

"Bones, no, no, no, that's not true. You should have human interactions. Look at it from a different point of view. He stole your files, that means he must've been after them for quite a while, but you stuck to the rules. You didn't tell him anything. He had to steal the file on the one night you came home to continue working in order to try to find this murderer. We will undo this. I promise."

"Don't promise that, I don't want you to do anything to endanger your job, Booth. And thank - thank you so much for comforting me. I just feel - overwhelmed, and tense." She lifted her head and pressed a kiss to his cheek, then laid her head back down on his shoulder.

"You're allowed to feel tense. You're the best forensic anthropologist in the country, Bones. Our interns are impressive, but they aren't nearly in the same league as you. They will be one day, but they are not quite there yet. Do you really think the FBI can afford it to stop working with you? I highly doubt it."

"Well, they just did. Booth? My head hurts really bad. Can I stay here tonight? Just to feel better?"

"Of course you can, Bones, you don't have to ask. I'm just going to text Angela and let her know you're safely with me. You can go and get changed. I'll let Cam know that you're taking a day off."

"And then you should go back to work. I don't want you to get in trouble because of me." She lifted her head and finally looked into his eyes. "I've caused enough trouble already," she said as fresh tears rolled down her cheeks. She didn't bother wiping them away, because there would be more.

Booth gently wiped them away with his thumb and smiled at her. "Nope. I'm staying home today. I have to make a really solid case for Hacker as to why my plan is the only way to catch this killer, so I'll be working from home today."

"Booth, he doesn't want me on the case. He doesn't want to hear anything about me. We can do this, but quietly. I can't fail publicly again. Sorry," she choked out and sat back into the couch, wishing she would stop crying. She just kept thinking back to that moment when Hacker started to yell at her that she was fired. She had never failed so miserably. Her whole identity was construed around her being brilliant and her work being perfect. Now, she felt confused as to who she was.

"Okay, don't worry, if you don't want Hacker to know, then I'm definitely not going in to the office today, because we have to figure out a way to catch this bastard. Now, I know Hacker took your files, but," Booth got up and grabbed his coat, in which he had wrapped a manilla envelope, "he was stupid enough to leave them on my desk, so naturally, I copied them before I gave them back to him. The best way you can help is by doing what you do best. Find me the missing clue and then we'll get him behind bars. Together. Like we always do."

She shook her head. "Booth, I can't right now. I don't feel well, and I can't stop crying. I'll mess up again."

"You can take your time to let it settle, just don't forget that I need you to help me with this."

"I know," she said, and took a sip of the tea. Her head was pounding painfully, but she couldn't take a painkiller because she hadn't eaten anything. She lay back down on the couch, hoping that it would alleviate her head-ache.

Booth remembered that she'd said she had a headache, so he got up and tucked her in again. "Have you eaten anything yet?"

"No, I can't. I'm too nauseous." She closed her eyes, maybe the light was aggravating the head-ache, but it still didn't go away. It was pure stress and tension.

Booth hesitated for a moment, then decided that his need to comfort her and her need to be comforted surpassed the slight awkwardness his request could create. "Come on, Bones," Booth urged her to sit up as he took the duvet. "Let's get you settled in my bedroom. It's darker and more comfortable in there."

She followed him without objection, and took off her blouse in the bedroom. She was wearing a camisole underneath, and she got into the bed. "Thank you, Booth," she whispered.

Booth tucked her back in and smiled. "You're welcome, Bones. Do you want me to stay with you for a little while? Until you fall asleep again?"

She nodded. "I don't want to be alone," she told him honestly in a small voice.

"I won't leave you alone," he reassured her. He proceeded to take his socks and jeans off and settled down into bed next to her. "Can I try something for your headache?" he whispered, not wanting to aggravate it even more.

"Yes, please," she said, willing to try anything.

With the utmost care, he combed his fingers through her hair and started to apply a small amount of pressure. "Let me know what works best and what doesn't," he spoke softly, his breath fanning over her cheek.

A warm, comfortable feeling finally settled over her in the intimacy of his bedroom. She needed him close, and she focused on his motions. It was as if he was untangling the panic knots in her brain. "Everything you do feels good," she sighed while being half asleep.

Booth tenderly kissed her forehead and continued with the soothing motions until he felt her body slumping against his, her breathing deepen and steady, and he knew she was asleep. Her head was already resting on his shoulder, so he simply pressed himself to her as he wrapped his arms around her and soon he, too, fell asleep.

In the middle of the night, Brennan woke up because her stomach was cramping. She disentangled herself from Booth's warm embrace and went to the bathroom, but it didn't really get better. In the bathroom, her mind flashed back to the scene with Hacker, and she found herself crying once again. And somewhere, she was glad she wouldn't have to face him anymore. She wanted to go back to Booth and not be alone, so she got back underneath the covers and lay her body against his. She draped one arm over his waist, it just felt so right and comfortable to be so close to him. She trusted him more than anyone in the world, and he was allowed to see her at her most vulnerable moments. She couldn't fall asleep, but it was enough to be comforted by his presence.

Booth awoke when she crawled back into bed and immediately reached for her hand. "You okay, Bones?"

"No," she said, "I feel so bad."

"Tell me what's wrong," he squeezed her hand and refrained from turning the lights on, knowing from experience that darkness has its own soothing qualities.

"I feel betrayed, I feel humiliated, I feel stupid," she spoke into the darkness.

"There is no reason to feel stupid. We both know you aren't stupid, Bones," Booth spoke in a soothing tone of voice as he scooted a bit closer. "Yes, Joshua did betray you and he'd better hope I never get my hands on him and as far as Hacker goes, if our plan works, we are going to make him regret having made a spectacle out of you."

She nodded into his chest. "That makes me feel a little better. Can I kick Joshua in the testicles?"

"Yes you can, although he's not worth the assault charge that will follow. Do you still have a headache?" he asked her, changing the subject.

"No, but I'm nauseous. Can I tell you something? About Joshua?"

"Of course, Bones. You can tell me anything."

"I thought he was taking care of me like you do. He wasn't like you, he didn't respect me. I should have left him."

"Bones, you shouldn't be so hard on yourself. I never noticed anything wrong about him, just like you didn't. How should you have known?"

"He was selfish, in bed, and sometimes I felt uncomfortable around him. I mean, he touched me in a manner I would have kicked another man for."

"I'm sorry to hear that, Bones." And he truly was, he'd been mistakenly thinking that she was happy with Joshua. "He had no right to do that. You deserve to be touched with care and love, to make you feel good about yourself, because you should. You deserve to be nurtured and worshipped in bed, just as much as out of it."

A warm feeling washed over her again, and she squeezed his hand. "Thanks, Booth. I forgot that I'm special, but you reminded me," she said with a slight smile. He always insisted that she was special, and now she knew it was him showing affection.

"You are special," he repeated her words. "Very special and I don't want you to forget that. Don't settle for assholes who just want sex. You deserve more. The tenderness that can only be felt while making love, the intimacy that comes from waking up on a Sunday morning, laying entwined and naked in your lover's arms. The knowledge that when you're nauseous and you have to puke, someone is going to be holding your hair back."

For some reason his words made her cry again. She'd been humiliated, but he made her feel worthy. She liked to learn from him in these moments; he was always so sincere. "I'm not going to puke," she smiled a little.

"And even if you do, I'll hold back your hair," he teased her softly.

She nodded and rested her head on his chest, pressing herself safely against him. "I would let you," she said softly.

"I know you would, Bones, I know you would." Booth held her against him and whispered. "How are you feeling now?"

"Better," she said. "Still a bit fragile," she admitted.

"You're stronger than you think, Bones. And you'll always have me. No matter what."

"I guess that in the end, you're the person I need most. I was looking for your qualities in Joshua. You're the only one who has never betrayed me."

"And I'm never going to." Booth was quiet for several minutes, then he added, "You don't have to look for my qualities in other men, Brenn, I'm right here."

"Yeah, I know. It's hard, but I know we could never - I mean, there's the line."

"What if it wasn't there? Would you want to pursue a romantic relationship with me?" he asked her softly, secretly anxious to hear her answer.

"Of course I would," she said matter-of-factly.

Booth cupped her cheeks in his hands and slowly kissed her, taking his time.

She knew he could probably taste the salt of her tears on her lips, and it made him feel more tender towards her. He did not try to grab her, he wanted to make her feel good. She kissed him back, letting him lead her, and it was okay that he did, because he had her best interests at heart. It should have felt weird, but it didn't. It was as if she'd known him all her life, and this was inevitable.

Their kiss was slow and tender, the love he felt for her pouring from his heart into her own. When they parted for air, he panted, "The line is gone then. It was a stupid idea. I said it when I was still recovering from the panic of nearly losing Cam and Parker." He kept his hand on her tummy and the other one covered her own hands. "I've longed for this for a long time now," he told her honestly.

"I thought I could never be with you," she replied, "I thought I'd have to look for someone like you."

"You can stop looking. Tell me, do you feel nauseous or is it just a heavy feeling in your tummy?"

"It's stress. I'm scared for consequences."

"Could you lay down on your side, facing away from me?" Booth asked her.

She did as he asked and got comfortable on her side.

Booth brushed his lips over the side of her neck. One arm was laying underneath her head, supporting her neck. he took her hand in that hand as the other settled on her tummy. "Don't be scared," Booth whispered and then he slowly slipped his hand underneath her camisole.

She was excited by his touches rather than scared. She trusted him.

He pressed the palm of his hand against her abdomen and whispered. "Close your eyes."

"They're closed," she replied softly. She loved the feeling of his hands on her skin. So warm, and dry, and gentle.

It was not a secret that he had dreamed of exploring her body, getting to know her intimately even more so, but he decided it would be best saved for a different time. Right now, he kept his wrist and the lower half of his hand firmly against her abdomen as he drew light circles with his fingertips, all the while taking his time to lavish attention to her exposed, graceful neck. "If you want more or less," he said in between kisses, "just let me know."

Joshua had been good at massage, but Booth had his own way of making her feel better. It felt almost spiritual, and it seemed rather random what he was doing, yet it was very effective, as if he knew her intimately. "You're doing it right," she said as she felt the knots in her stomach dissolve under his rhythmic massage.

"Okay, keep your eyes closed. Now, imagine you're on a beach somewhere. Can you see it? I'm right next to you, we're in the same position as we are now."

She'd never done anything like this before, but she was willing to try with him now. She imagined a white beach at the edge of a light-blue ocean. With palm trees. She was lying on a towel with Booth, in the shade. "I see it."

"You know that sand gives a little, it moulds somewhat around your body. So I want you to focus on your feet," he continued with his soft, rhythmic massage. "Ignore your abdomen for a moment and feel your feet sinking ever so slightly in the sand. Your legs, too. That's it," he whispered encouragingly as her lower body finally relaxed. "Now, do the same with your hands and arms."

She couldn't believe it; she was actually relaxing with this silly technique of his. It was sweet, though, and she felt relieved he was able to help her.

"Now, the slightly more difficult ones, but I know you can do it," he whispered. "Focus on your neck and your shoulders. You don't need to hold your head up, my arm is supporting you." He kissed her neck, humming softly. "Relax, Bones," he whispered.

The stress in her shoulders gave a little, but her neck maintained its tightness, as if all the stress had gathered there.

Booth frowned when the weight on his arm didn't increase and his hand slipped from underneath her camisole. "Turn onto your tummy, then sink back into the sand, Bones," he requested quietly.

She did, trusting him blindly, and going along with him without any protest. Joshua would never have had this patience with her.

He moved around underneath the duvet and settled over her, his knees brushing lightly against her hips, making sure to keep his weight off of her. "Keep sinking into the sand, Bones." He placed his hand over her shoulders and neck and started to loosen the knots. It took him quite a while and now and then, her body tensed up as a brief flash of pain went through her as he worked his magic on her shoulders and neck. Whenever he noticed her discomfort, he placed his hands on the bed, next to her shoulders and simply kissed the back of her head, her neck and her shoulders.

The truth was, it was heavenly what Booth was doing to her. Joshua never kept his weight off her, but Booth seemed to realise the difference in their proportions, and did what he could to make her more comfortable. Eventually, helped by the image of the beach and Booth's gentle work, she felt the stress give way and she relaxed.

To make sure that she was completely relaxed he rubbed her back slowly, but indeed, her body had seemingly relaxed completely. He settled back down next to her. "Trust me?" he whispered.

She had trouble opening her eyes, she was so relaxed. "Always," she mumbled.

"Just stay focused on keeping your muscles relaxed. You're going to move, but I'm going to do it for you," he informed her.

She nodded her head, a little curious, but not at all anxious. She was certain that whatever he would do, would make her feel better.

Booth slowly lifted her wrist, then noticed that her eyes were open again. He leaned in and kissed her softly. "Close your eyes," he murmured. She did and he lifted her arm a bit more, slightly raising her shoulders, chest and abdomen from the bed. He scooted closer to her and slipped his leg underneath hers. With his other hand, he cupped her cheek and carefully lifted her head onto his shoulder. He wrapped his arm around her waist as he draped her arm over his own. He released her wrist and caressed up her arm, over her shoulder, down her back, over her buttock, down her thigh and cupped the back of her knee in his hand. Then, in one fluid motion, he transferred her fully from the bed and onto him. "I'm as pliable and as warm as the sand, Bones. Just keep sinking into it." He kissed her temple. "Into me," he whispered promisingly. "I won't let you fall."

She felt truly relaxed, and loved, which made it less important to be smart or successful. This, she realised, was what she really wanted. To be happy. And Booth helped her feel happy. She sank into him, as he said, and the warm feelings washed over her again and again.

"I know it's just past midnight and that we already slept quite a few hours, but I want you to sleep and let all of your fear and worries drain out of you, just let them seep into me and then through me. And when you wake up, we are going to fix this. Together." He gently tipped her chin up and whispered, "Look at me."

She opened her eyes slowly; her eyelids were very heavy. His warm brown eyes stared back at her, and she felt protected and loved.

"I love you," he stated as if it was the most normal thing in the world, but then again, to him it was. He leaned towards her and kissed her again. This time, he didn't stop at a simple brush of his lips over hers. He sought the permission to deepen the kiss and when he felt her lips part, he slipped his tongue inside of her mouth, stroking hers lazily and tenderly. There was no rush in the moment, but it was more intense, more passionate than any other kisses they'd shared so far. "You're my Bones. And that is never going to change. Believe in that, darling."

She smiled against his lips. "Then you're my Booth. I've loved you like family for a long time, and now I love you even more." She kissed him, and managed to maintain her relaxation.

"I am," he confirmed. "Now sleep, you're going to need your rest."

"I love you for being you, and making me feel better about myself." She kissed him once more. "And I promise that in the near future, you can sink into me."

"We'll sink into each other," he promised her. "Sweet dreams, Temperance Brennan."

"Sweet reality, Seeley Booth."

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**We hope you liked this one and maybe it helped to comfort some of you, too. We could all use a Booth sometimes ;). Thanks for reading!**


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